Open Dialogue, Input Vital To Worcester's Future
PHOTO/COURTESY
Picture this: It's a warm, sunny day and you're downtown; your day starts with an event at a state-of-the-art arena. Then, you walk a few hundred yards to take in a lecture at the public library. After that, you grab lunch at a trendy bistro, followed by a gourmet ice cream from a street vendor. Then, it's time for some window shopping and a matinee showing of a movie. You then view a couple of street performances that draw a crowd on a narrow street and bring a sense of wonder and spontaneity few urban environments offer.
After that, it's time for dinner at one of a dozen restaurants within easy walking distance before you head to a world-class theater right around the corner for that musical you've longed to see.
And all of this happens within a one square-mile area. Are you in Boston? No, you're in downtown Worcester.
Surprised? Well, that's what the downtown Worcester experience could become after the CitySquare development is completed and if the master plan for a 30-acre theater district being shepherded by the city and the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC) comes to life. The goal is a "walkable" downtown that's active 18 hours a day with entertainment, retail, dining and education space, plus a beefed-up downtown housing stock with a mix of young professionals, empty nesters and students.
The overarching question remains: "If you build it, will they come?"
The plan contains many laudable goals which, together with the already underway 12-acre CitySquare development, hold the promise of radical transformation for Worcester's core. The key, however, is filling all the spaces with the right mix of uses, turning empty storefronts into lively new businesses, and making the whole district function in a way that invites the city's creative, urban energy to bloom. The WBDC has a proud history of catalyzing a variety of important economic development projects. But this new assignment to make a section of Worcester's urban fabric come to life is going to require a level of creativity and skill unlike what made those other projects go. Engaging the community, and igniting a small-scale, entrepreneurially driven programming of the space will be critical for the next stages of this development to take off.
The first issue to tackle is attracting more people. With the Hanover Theatre, Mechanics Hall and the DCU Center all drawing significant crowds to downtown, how does the city funnel those visitors to this new hub of activity and entertainment? And with recent plans for residential development and college-student housing, how can the WBDC and the city create the best atmosphere for more housing?
That will make the second mission — bringing people downtown – a bit easier, because a walkable downtown means giving would-be patrons no shortage of retail choices and activities to keep them there for hours at a time.
Recently announced expansion plans by Quinsigamond Community College in the former Telegram & Gazette building will also boost the presence of college students and bring more momentum to the project. Convincing even more schools to extend their footprints could well be a strategy that gains traction in the coming years.
The key elements to this plan will only be improved and refined if those in charge have an active appetite for input and constructive criticism from the business community and the public. There's no question Worcester has had its development successes and failures, but there's a tangible momentum that makes us optimistic that this new plan can help the city's core turn the corner to a brighter day. The fact that dozens braved the bitter cold weather on a recent night to hear details of the plan is encouraging, and shows a passion among citizens to have a hand in Worcester's future. We urge a continued level of open dialogue and input on an undertaking so critical to Worcester's economic fortunes.
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